Rapper Hoodie Allen’s new album is very accurately named The Hype. After the longest break he’s ever taken between album releases, Hoodie is back with one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. The Hype clearly demonstrates his growth and does more than enough to justify the wait, going back to a more People Keep Talking-esque sound and delivering variety from subtly shady tracks like “Fakin’” to “Know It All,” showing off his stellar vocals and growing confidence in them. This past Friday, The Hype Tour stopped at Union Transfer in Philadelphia.

Opener Myles Parrish and his DJ and brother, Jake, started the show off with a high energy set. From the second he stepped on stage, his happiness was contagious and the crowd was more than ready to vibe with him. His short set still managed to include all of his most popular songs, even including “Trampoline” and “Do My Step” from his former duo Kalin and Myles. During “Tommy Bahama,” Myles encouraged friendly mosh pits, a nod to his multiple lyrics referencing Warped Tour and moshing- while it didn’t quite work out, he did join the front row to sing the last verse. Clear Myles fans were spread throughout the crowd, yelling every word to his songs and following his dance moves. Rapper and singer Luke Christopher took the stage next, starting with the extremely catchy “The Lights.” His strong vocals shown and were perfectly accentuated by his DJ, Cecil, and his backing harmonies. He unfortunately seemed to lose his grasp on the audience as his set went on but overall demonstrated a lot of great potential, especially as this is his first tour.

Intensely flashing lights and the first verse of “Believe” set the stage for Hoodie Allen’s set. The incredibly energetic rapper made the small stage feel huge, bouncing around during the entirety of his set and only slowing down for moments like a short, minimalistic clip of “Overtime.” The setlist was comprised of the perfect balance of new and older songs and did a great job promoting the new album while still catering to long time fans. Hoodie, the jokingly self-proclaimed King of the Fans, let the audience choose multiple songs and truly did everything he could to please everyone (including a wonderfully sped up version of “Fakin’”). While I genuinely love going to rap shows, I’ve found a lot of the performances to be a little lackluster just because of the typical structure of having one person rap over tracks. Hoodie breaks this mold by bringing out an entire band, adding a true live music component that does a lot to set his shows apart. This worked especially well with the pop punk vibes in “All My Friends,” an upbeat song written with State Champs. He closed the show with long-time fan favorite “No Interruption,” leaving the stage only after drenching the crowd in water.

While the US part of this tour just ended, the European leg is right around the corner and kicks off in Dublin, Ireland on the 29th. Find dates and purchase tickets here.